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Private Lands Conservation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

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Private Lands Conservation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines University of Colorado Law School Colorado Law Scholarly Commons Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Books, Reports, and Studies Resources, Energy, and the Environment 2004 Private Lands Conservation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines Julie Truelsen University of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/books_reports_studies Part of the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Estates and Trusts Commons, Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Legislation Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Property Law and Real Estate Commons, Tax Law Commons, Water Law Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Citation Information Julie Truelsen, Private Lands Conservation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Natural Res. Law Ctr., Univ. of Colo. Sch. of Law 2004). JULIE TRUELSON, PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATION IN ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES (Natural Res. Law Ctr., Univ. of Colo. Sch. of Law 2004). Reproduced with permission of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (formerly the Natural Resources Law Center) at the University of Colorado Law School. AVAILABLE ONLINE PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES A Country Report by the Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado School of Law September 2004 Sponsored by The Nature Conservancy Primary Author: Julie Truelsen;· NRLC Research Assistant KGW [email protected]~.edu 5046 • T78 2004 Private Lands Conservation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines A Report by the Natural Resources Law Center University of Colorado School of Law September 2004 Primary Author: Julie Truelsen, NRLC Research Assistant E-mail: [email protected] 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Brief Questions ............................................................................................................1 Introduction..................................................................................................................4 I. Relevant Background ...........................................................................................4 A. Relevant History ............................................................................................4 B. Government....................................................................................................5 C. Legal Authority..............................................................................................6 II. Rights and Restrictions Pertaining to Land Tenure in St. Vincent......................7 A. History and Current Overview of Land Tenure............................................7 B. Predominant Types of Land Tenure in St. Vincent ......................................9 C. General Rights and Restrictions on Land Use ............................................10 1. Government Control and Acquisition of Private Lands.......................11 2. Provisions Concerning Public Lands that Affect Private Owners.......13 III. Land Administration in St. Vincent ....................................................................15 A. Institutional Framework...............................................................................15 B. Land Transfer...............................................................................................17 C. Land Registration.........................................................................................19 D. Establishing Clear Title ...............................................................................23 E. Dispute Resolution.......................................................................................25 IV. Legal Tools for Private Lands Conservation .....................................................28 A. Conservation Easements..............................................................................29 1. Appurtenant Conservation Easements..................................................31 2. Conservation Easements in Gross ........................................................35 3. The Uniform Conservation Easement Act ...........................................36 B. Easements in St. Vincent .............................................................................37 C. Real Covenants ............................................................................................40 D. Equitable Servitudes ....................................................................................42 E. Profits à Prendre...........................................................................................44 F. Purchased Development Rights...................................................................45 G. Leases, “Leaseback” Agreements, and Reserved Life Interests.................46 V. Conservation Legislation and Incentives ...........................................................47 A. The Forest Act..............................................................................................47 B. The Forest Resource Conservation Act.......................................................48 C. Tax Incentives Under the UCEA.................................................................51 D. Tax Incentives in St. Vincent.......................................................................52 E. Additional Relevant Statutes .......................................................................53 Bibliography ..............................................................................................................55 2 BRIEF QUESTIONS 1. What legal tools are in place for the purpose of achieving private lands conservation? Parliament has enabled private landowners to donate or use their land for conservation purposes through the Forests Act and the Forest Resources Conservation Act, as well as through a provision of the Town and Country Planning Act known as a Tree Preservation Order. Provisions of the Land Tax Act and language expressed in the Duties and Taxes (Exemption in the Public Interest) Act appear to make it possible to introduce tax incentives and exemptions encouraging private landowners to devote their property to conservation purposes. Both of these statutes seem to allow some forgiveness in the payment of taxes by a private citizen who is carrying out a public good. This report recommends that conservationists use these instruments to engage in private lands conservation. However, these devices are currently seldom employed due to both a lack of education among private landowners concerning their availability and the inability of many private landowners to afford the registration of their land in order to obtain secure title (unregistered land is prevalent in St. Vincent). 2. What legal tools are recognized by the legal system of St. Vincent and are capable of being used for private lands conservation? While easements are recognized under St. Vincent law, conservation easements are not explicitly recognized by the existing legal system—Parliament has yet to provide legislative authority for conservation easements; and English common law presents serious difficulties to the goal of using negative easements appurtenant, negative easements in gross, or restrictive covenants for conservation purposes. However, equitable servitudes could be used for this purpose. Equitable 1 servitudes are generally not recognized at law, and are enforceable only if equitable considerations demand their enforcement. Although certain legal duties and processes affecting private citizens could be restructured and used as incentives for private landowners (such as property taxes), the use of such incentives would require Parliament to pass an enabling statute. Other possible tools for private lands conservation include leases, leasebacks, and profits à prendre. 3. Given the legal authorities governing land tenure, what novel legal tools could be introduced to achieve the goal of private lands conservation? This report recommends that conservationists encourage St. Vincent’s Parliament to pass a conservation easement statute similar to those employed in the United States—and which are modeled after the Uniform Conservation Easement Act (UCEA). By adopting legislation based on the UCEA, numerous U.S. states have eliminated the common law impediments to conservation easements—impediments that are present in the existing St. Vincent legal system. Specifically, the UCEA provides that a conservation easement is valid even though: (1) it is not appurtenant to an interest in real property; (2) it can be or has been assigned to another holder; (3) it is not of a character that has been recognized traditionally at common law; (4) it imposes a negative burden; (5) it imposes affirmative obligations upon the owner of an interest in the burdened property or upon the holder; (6) the benefit does not touch or concern real property; or (7) there is no privity of estate or of contract. A unique feature of the Act is the “third-party enforcement right.” Under the Act, an easement may empower an entity other than an immediate holder to enforce its terms so long as the third party is a charitable organization or governmental body eligible to be a holder. 2 4. What unique challenges does St. Vincent present to the goal of private lands conservation? It may prove difficult to convince small landholders in St. Vincent to engage in private
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